ABSTRACT
Classical political thought and practice may be helpful in thinking about the crises that beset contemporary liberal democracy. This chapter considers Aristotle’s critical engagement with classical Greek democracy as a resource for thinking about the ways that non-liberal ideas may support and improve liberal democratic practice. It proposes that self-government, active citizenship, and moderation are the kinds of Aristotelian ideas that may help, and that Aristotle’s critical evaluation of democracy is more complex and less hostile than often thought. I start by looking carefully at the basic conceptual structure of Aristotle’s political science by reference to his closely interrelated notions of the city, the regime, and citizenship. Second, I examine Aristotle’s characterization of democracy and his most important criticisms of it as a political regime. Third, I consider complexities of Aristotle’s view that stem from other aspects of his own political theory and actual Greek political practice as described by modern students of Greek democracy. In the conclusion, I consider some doubts about the relevance of the classical tradition to our modern circumstances and sketch the basis of a response.
